Peace

[thestaremaster]

WHO:Bucky Barnes, OTA, (Closed post for Steve)
WHERE: where the Glownies graze, Steve/Bucky's place
WHAT: Glownie Therapy, Flowers
WHEN: Early days after being released
WARNINGS:TBD



OTA- Glownie Therapy

Still lacking the proper data point, Bucky couldn't care for the glownies as well as the others. Besides which he didn't want to step on the those of those who had assumed it as their job. But he visited them when he needed something to calm him down, bring him of a little of that peace he'd felt out in Wakanda.

He'd spent hours on another fruitless search for Soldier, or the Red Book, turning up neither, and hesitant still to bring his concerns to Steve because...well, if he was being honest with himself it was because he was afraid of Steve seeing an activated Winter Soldier in the flesh. The memories were bad enough.

So he stopped to visit the glownies before heading back, brushing them down slightly and giving a fond pat to it's flank, feeling the tension ease away.

For Steve

Back in his prime, Bucky was sure he didn't spend nearly this much time fretting over stupid things like this. He was confident, and sure, and dating came easy. He wasn't sure if it was that he was older now, everything he'd been through, or just...that this was Steve.

Adorably old fashioned.

The words kept echoing in him man, and he made a face at the flowers in his hand, making a half aborted turn to abandon them all together before making himself stop. He took a breath let that confident look fall back into place, and let himself inside.

"Steve? You back?"

Comments

[usedtobesmoller]

Being free of the Calibrations room was great. Steve and Bucky's room might not be much but at least when they fell asleep in it, they stayed in their own heads. And, now, they fell asleep side-by-side, just as they had so many times before, but this time with a new change in their dynamic. One that was great as well as far as Steve was concerned. Even if he had no real idea of how to be with someone.

But hey. He knew how to be with Bucky, so that had to be a start.

Steve was sketching out some drawings of people from town when Bucky came back in. He glanced up at Bucky's voice with a big smile that only got bigger when he saw what he was holding.

"Hey, Buck. Yeah. I think I finally got all that soap out of our clothes." He stood up and walked closer. "Whatcha got there, huh?"

[thestaremaster]

The sight made him smile- a smile that was coming easier and more often these days. It was so rare to see Steve like this in the future, with the world constantly falling apart, there was rarely time for him to do something just for himself.

He looked a bit bashful for a moment, before smirking and glancing down at the flowers as though he'd only just noticed them. "Oh- these?" he asked casually, "...thought you might like them. Or...you know. The place could use some colour," he added, in part to cover the gesture as he offered them up.

He pressed a fond kiss to the side of Steve's eye, a gesture that was fast feeling familiar, as though it was something they'd always been meant to do.

"How'd you manage that? I was sure it wasn't ever going to come out."

[usedtobesmoller]

Bucky brought him flowers. Blue flowers. Steve's whole body went warm with fondness. And that small little peck wasn't going to cut it. Steve reached up and grabbed Bucky's collar to drag him down. He kissed him soft but firm on the lips.

"You're a sap," he teased through a bright smile, taking the flowers from him. Steve went around the room trying to find anything he could put them in before settling on bucket-like object.

"I got some of those mint plants and mashed 'em up in water to soak. Which...I should warn ya, they might smell like mint instead, now. But I figure that's an improvement."

[thestaremaster]

He snorted in amusement, smiling against Steve's lips. It shouldn't be such a surprise that Steve was so determined here as he was everywhere else. Just because he was small didn't mean he was shy.

"Shuddup," he muttered with a grin, going to sneak a peek at Steve's sketches while he was preoccupied with the flowers.

"Anything's an improvement," Bucky agreed, "And if those plants try to swallow us maybe they'll mistake us for one of their own," he teased.

[usedtobesmoller]

Steve smiled over his shoulder as he glanced back at Bucky. Seeing him at the sketchbook, he sidled over and settled against his side. "I wanted to shake the dust off a bit." He turned the page to a rough sketch of Peter and another of Jon. Behind that was a whole page of Bucky's but Steve wasn't proactively showing that one off.

"At least then if the mint takes anyone away I can memorialize them. Make a nice mural for 'em all."

Glownies but this is not Therapy

[hashtagparkerluck]

Peter thought maybe he owed Bucky an apology of some kind. They seem to always be getting off on the wrong foot what with the one time he stayed the night with Bucky and Steve and felt like an outsider and then had nightmares that woke both of the men up, and after that there was that argument with him over the Winter Soldier. Which, Peter's still pretty sure his strength is being underestimated there.

He pushes those thoughts out his head and moves over to where Bucky is patting a weird glowy thing. His senses spike and he pauses a moment, glancing around to see what is causing him to feel like he's in danger. He doesn't notice anything and moves over closer. Something doesn't feel right though.

"Um. Hey!" He greets awkwardly, ignoring whatever has him feeling... off. It's probably nothing. "I think I owe you an apology?"

[thestaremaster]

Ah. The kid. Bucky tries to put on a neutral, non threatening expression, though on him it comes across as more of a disapproving stare. He knows he makes the kid uneasy, and he tries for a smile, but it's not exactly natural.

"For what?" he asks, lifting a brow. While Peter's been dwelling, Bucky's all but forgotten.

[hashtagparkerluck]

Yeah, that disapproving stare has Peter worrying that he's done something wrong and if maybe Bucky is mad at him for something and that's why his spider-sense is buzzing.

"Oh, well.. It's.. I mean it's mostly been me-actually it's been all me-I've just been really awkward-" He moves closer and then stops. Something is really, really not right. His eyes and the inside of his nose feel like they're burning. He coughs and suddenly it clicks. The minty scent is overwhelming and he has stagger back.

[thestaremaster]

"...Like now?" Bucky wonders pointedly, not sure what exactly Peter's getting at, or why he's approaching only to immediately become skittish again.

"What's up with you? I'm not going to bite."

[hashtagparkerluck]

"Uh..." Peter feels his cheeks warm as it occurs to him that he is kinda being awkward. It's not his fault though, everything feels like minty fire. "Yeah, sorry." He offers, trying to ignore the increasing discomfort. Maybe if he stands back far enough things will calm down.

"I'm fine, really." He coughs out, not sounding fine at all. "I just thought we got off on the wrong foot and-oh god." He rubs at his eyes but that really just makes it worse. "thought we could try again?"

Glownie Therapy

[plate_builder]

This wasn't a place Reeve would normally come. Part of it was that Mini was not fond of the Glownies, mostly because they were larger than him and not very wise. But desperation led him here. Desperation and concern.

Maybe he'd come back. That was all Reeve could hope for. And, in seeing someone similar enough, he was excited. He shifts the bag Mini is riding in and races toward the other in the glownie's enclosure.

"Sol-"

No. Wait. Hair shorter, arm the wrong color. Reeve slowed and almost wilted at the realization.

"You're not Soldat."

[thestaremaster]

Seeing someone hurry towards him, Bucky tensed, shoulders squared in a reflexive defensive stance. There was recognition in his eyes from that first syllable alone, and he frowned, shaking his head faintly, that tension not really leaving him.

There were other difference now that Reeve was closer, even just in the way they held themselves. Similar, but different enough from the branching paths their lives had taken.

"No," he confirmed, "...you're looking for him too?"

[plate_builder]

"Yes," Reeve said, bowing his head to Bucky. "You're the other Bucky, the one from another version of his Earth? Have you seen him? No, I suppose not since you said too."

And oh the distress in his voice. Truly he did care about Soldat.

"We are friends, even if he sometimes pushes me away. He was behaving weirdly, before the storm came. And I haven't been able to see him since then. I think he released Beck, which made no sense. Something to do with his history I think. And I absolutely didn't see him during the Calibrations. I don't know what to do."

Friends. Even if Soldat didn't know what to do with it, Reeve was his friend, and he cared. Deeply.

[thestaremaster]

The other Bucky.

That felt weird, and Bucky couldn't help but make a face at that without thinking. He was so used to thinking of Soldat as the other. It hadn't really struck him before that it would be the other way around for him, and any who knew him first.

"I've been tracking him, but I haven't been able to locate him yet." He frowned faintly, holding back what he knew about Beck for now, not sure how much Soldat had shared of their past, and feeling uncertain about revealing knowledge of the Winter Soldier. Or the book. The fewer people that knew about that the better, even if Soldat had deemed him trust worthy. "He wasn't the only one missing from calibrations. And he can take care of himself. He wouldn't want you to worry," he tried to assure.

[plate_builder]

Why wouldn't he be the other Bucky? Reeve doesn't even notice that issue, just keeps frowning over how the other man didn't know where Soldat was.

"Perhaps he wasn't, and he most definitely can care for himself. I don't feel that justifies neglecting a friend. Would you want those who care for you to not be invested in you?"

Though he supposed if the man has even half so negative an opinion of himself as Soldat has... Well, he might not want it.

Glownie Therapy

[lionunchained]

Shiro had also found comfort in the glownies. They were surprisingly nice to spend time with, he had discovered sometime ago. As such he usually liked to spend time with them every once in a while.

Today, when he arrived, he found that someone else had also discovered the joys of the glownies. He passed at the fence, looking in and smiling.

"Have you tried giving them mint yet? They like mint."

[thestaremaster]

Bucky looked up, feeling briefly vulnerable. He'd seen Shiro from a distance before, but never approached before now.

"Do they?" Bucky studied the glownie's face in surprise. He wouldn't have thought to try it. "Did you figure that out for yourself or did the data point tell you that?" he asked. He still couldn't bring himself to touch one since the fountain, and he wondered what sorts of information it shared with with the people who did.

[lionunchained]

"That was actually something Tommy told me about. Apparently that was how they arrived. They were growing mint and some of it was left outside and Glownies arrived to eat it."

He leaned against the fence smiling as he watched the Glownies wandering around for a moment. He did like them a lot.

"Want me to go grab some mint so you can give them a snack?"

[thestaremaster]

"Makes you wonder what else is just waiting to arrive," Bucky noted. He'd have thought the flavour would be too strong, and it made sense now why they were so drawn to him now that Steve had washed their clothes using that mint.

"You'd do that?"

[lionunchained]

"Yeah... there seems to be a lot of space that we haven't gotten to yet, so there could still be some things hiding out there. Luckily, these guys are harmless and useful."

Yeah, that might explain some things if they smell the mint.

"Sure. There's some in the shed. I can go get some."

i knew i was forgetting to tag something

[tyrants_son]

Since there had been no updates since the last time they'd spoken, Felwinter had not wanted to broach the subject. And though they had been sharing similar confines for weeks on end, the warlord had kept to himself largely. He had many things to reflect upon, and the time and pseudo-peace to do it.

And now he was here. The glownies weren't creatures he particularly interacted with, but they didn't seem to pay him much attention or care so long as he didn't come near them, which was fine by him. Truth was he'd seen Bucky coming from who knows where, and found this an interesting choice of place for him to next spend his time. But perhaps he could understand, now watching the man as he interacted with the creatures.

[thestaremaster]

There'd been no updates since there'd unfortunately been nothing to update.

He caught Felwinter's gaze (or what he assumed to be his gaze) and ducked his head faintly with guilt for the lack of results. Bucky gaze the glownie a parting pat and made his way over to the Exo.

"Doing better?" he greeted.

[tyrants_son]

Felwinter had not come to judge, but it was difficult to tell anything with and even without the helmet. He felt better as Bucky approached however, giving the man a nod.

"I am," he said, and he was mildly surprised to feel that he meant it. Calibrations may have been meant to be cruel, but it had been oddly freeing in other ways. There was hesitation however, as he wasn't exactly sure how to follow-up before offering a cautious, "...and yourself?"

[thestaremaster]

"Eh-" Bucky started to shrug, the frustration of not being able to locate Soldat very nearly taking up all of his mind in that moment, but then his thoughts drifted to Steve and his features softened some.

But that wasn't was Felwinter wanted to hear about.

"...I've been tracking him. But he's not making it easy," he admitted with a sigh.

[tyrants_son]

That...wasn't necessarily what he'd meant, even though it was one of the questions on his mind. Felwinter glanced away, offering a vague nod.

"Not that I thought it would be easy to begin with. He also avoided confinement. Perhaps he was in Sh'Ka at that point." So much for avoiding the subject. "...he has not hurt anyone else. That much is at least good news."